Gardening Scotland: a review

I looked up at the sky, slightly baffled by its deep blue colour. And wouldn’t you know it, the sun was even shining. I was attending Gardening Scotland, and if there’s one thing you can be assured of this far north, it’s that usually the weather does not cooperate. I’d expected horizontal rain. Today however luck was on my side; it was a beautiful day.

Gardening Scotland is billed as the largest horticultural show north of the border. The annual event is held at The Royal Highland Centre which is, ironically, just outside of Edinburgh. On the day I attended, cheering my good fortune and the golden sunshine, I was excited to see what Scotland had to offer. I knew it’d be a more local, laid back affair. I didn’t expect to see too many Panama hats or stiletto heels. I was wearing jeans.

As I entered, I picked up a programme and flicked through the glossy pages – show gardens, floral hall, plant sales, RHS theatre, doughnut stalls and coffee – I really didn’t know what to do first. I was shaken back to reality by the mechanical roar of an aeroplane. The Royal Highland Centre sits adjacent to Edinburgh airport. Driving in, you can see the universal signs for arrivals and departures. It’s an unfortunate location.

I decided to head to the show gardens as a 757 crested over the crowds. An aeroplane thundering down the tarmac on its way to Majorca didn’t really scream horticulture to me. I shrugged. Once I was inside the event grounds, I was too obsessed with the plants to really notice anything else.

The show gardens

Every year I watch the Chelsea flower show on the television and love looking at the show gardens. I know that Chelsea sits in a category all of its own. For example, the average price of a Chelsea show garden is £250,000, which can create warped expectations when visiting other events. It’s understandable that pockets that deep don’t exist elsewhere. I also believe in the adage that money isn’t everything; small can also be beautiful. With this in mind, I felt hopeful as I neared the show gardens.

I was not disappointed.

The first garden I wandered through was the Hive Jive garden from SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) Edinburgh, which won the premier gold medal for 2016. The odd name had an explanation: it was inspired by the movement bees make as they return to the nest. Therefore, the design of the space had bees at its heart. Bees perform specific movements, similar to a figure of eight (a jive), in order to notify other bees of the best spots to find pollen. The garden also relied on hexagonal shapes in order to suggest the honeycombs the bees create. I liked the garden’s use of box hedges which created formality, while generous lavender planting helped to soften the overall effect. Lavender is, of course, a sweet shop for bees.

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However, my favourite garden was constructed by men from Glenochil prison in Alloa and women from Cornton Vale prison in Stirling. It was titled Within These Walls – a Journey Inside. The garden was a wonderful expression of the transformative effects of gardening. The garden was not only beautiful, but it was filled with testimonials of how gardening helped inmates of both prisons rebuild their lives. There were letters which spoke about inmates and their poor mental health, and how the garden helped to heal those who worked on it. The garden was obviously a hit with spectators – it received the People’s Choice Award for the best show garden.

The floral hall

I entered the floral hall in the early afternoon. It was busy. People swarmed the stalls and displays like carrot fly in midsummer. The entire place felt like a cavernous train station, but instead of people rushing to catch the 10.15 to Paris, they were scuttling here and there to grab a glimpse of a peony or a lupine.

There were several local nurseries which had lovely displays. In my opinion however, all the stall holders offered something even more precious than plants: they offered advice. Local knowledge is always the best knowledge, and while books often talk in sweeping generalisations, people can answer specific questions. Seed packets are a perfect example. Sowing courgettes in April might be fine in Southern England, but good luck in the Highlands of Scotland. When it comes to shrubs and herbaceous perennials, it can get even more complex. For me, it was great to see a so many local growers exchanging information relevant to their part of the country. Binny Plants, for example, specialise in growing hardy perennials fit for the Scottish climate. There was also a great display by New Hopetoun Garden Centre – I could have happily taken their entire stock home with me.

The Big Back Garden

I arrived looking for gardening inspiration and ideas. Importantly, I also arrived with my three and a half year old little girl who is constantly on the move. The event is advertised as a family-friendly, so I was putting that to the test. And this is where Gardening Scotland really shone.

There was an entire space dedicated to keeping little folks happy, called the Big Back Garden. There were slides and play equipment, arts and crafts, face painting, as well as story book reading in a large central wigwam. Mairi Hedderwick even showed up to read from her well known Katie Morag books. My daughter loved it.

It gave me a chance to sneak away to the plant stalls and do a bit of shopping. I found exactly what I was looking for: local plants suitable to local conditions. I was thrilled to find a dwarf delphinium called ‘Highlander Crystal’ grown by Elmlea Plants. Scotland can be bracing at times, and plants often get flattened by winds; plants that don’t need staking are always good. In addition, I was told this little plant was tougher than your average delphinium, and could better withstand the wet winter soil.

Finding unique, or specialised items you otherwise didn’t know existed is why I love attending events like Gardening Scotland. Whether it’s a decorative piece of garden art, an unusual specimen plant, or a careful piece of advice, gardening events are a great place to find something special. Next year, I’ll be bringing a bigger shopping bag.